Sir, first and foremost, thank you for your commitment to serve our country.

This is the first time I’ve actually written to an elected official. I am a moderate libertarian. By moderate I mean I support minimal government programs to help everyone gain access to basic needs, and to intervene when some take liberties which infringe on the liberties of others.

Of course I have many opinions, but here are my top two.

I have a deep concern for our consumerism, especially regarding its impact on our environment. Damage to our planet cannot always be reversed. I respectfully ask you to hold the future health of our air, water, and soil in context when making your decisions.

As you are privy to a mountain of information more than we are on the complexities of the problems facing our nation, you know they cannot be reduced to slogans and sound bites. And yet our society continues to do so, making it seem that each side doesn’t understand the opposing perspective. Or worse, leading people to believe that the problem truly is encapsulated in 140 characters. So I also ask you to acknowledge the differing perspectives openly as you go forward. I pray through your genuine willingness to seek understanding and publicly consider these complexities, it will disarm the hateful rhetoric that consumed this election.

Thank you for your time and consideration. May God be with you.

Respectfully,

A stay-at-home mom. A business owner. A military veteran. A farmer. A law enforcement officer. A close friend to an Arab immigrant. A grandchild of a Latino man who stopped speaking Spanish because of racism. A child of divorced parents. A woman who used services at Planned Parenthood as a teenager. A child who benefited from reduced lunch in grade school. A person who only had $2,000 to go to college, so I sought options that didn’t require a loan. A woman with a masters degree. A land owner. A pioneer of an industry. A small town resident with an appreciation for the big cities. A Methodist married to a Catholic with Jewish and Muslim friends (I just don't know anyone from other faiths, but look forward to meeting them one day). A lover of our already great country despite our flaws.